Cincinnati Museum Center

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Toys Through Time

Few traditions are more widely shared than the joy of waking up to see what gifts were delivered the night before. Take a step back into history and share the joy of holidays past in our Toys Through Time exhibit.

See what playthings were on children's lists more than 100 years ago in this exhibit that features sporting goods, dolls and action figures, board games, children's books and toy trains. Highlights includes a baseball glove and football, Goldsmith Dolls and others from the 19th and 20th centuries and an original Monopoly board game complete with sterling silver pieces.

The exhibit also features a circa 1900 electric train set made here in Cincinnati by the the Carlisle & Finch Co. There's also the trian set of William Robert Atee III, who received the set as a gift on Christmas Day, 1925. The set, which contains a metal locomotive, three passenger cars, a track, switches, signals and several buildings in excellent working condition, was donated to Cincinnati Museum Center following the success of a past Toys Through Time installation. And new this year is a stunning LEGO model of Union Terminal.